Overview

Computer security is one of the key challenges in contemporary computing. You will gain critical knowledge within the cybersecurity and digital forensic domains, combining academic principles and industrial practice.

The course is informed by current research in security and digital forensics and is underpinned by our experience with external partners in law enforcement, the cybersecurity industry, financial institutions and other knowledge transfer activities.

The specialisation you gain in the taught modules is further developed through an extensive research-based MSc dissertation project, leading towards a mastery of a subject area and enhancing your particular specialism.

The course is flexible and the option to spread the course modules out over a number of years, making the course ideal for students who are in employment.

This course is eligible for a limited number of DCMS funded bursaries for Scottish and EU students – please see the DCMS bursary funding page for more information on how to apply.

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School of Computing

The School of Computing will equip you for the future in a fast-changing and fascinating sector. From networking to cybercrime, sound design to web development, we offer accredited courses taught by industry experts in labs that feature cutting-edge kit.

GCHQ Certified Training

This MSc is one of a very small number of courses certified by GCHQ, recognising UK universities which are excellent in Cyber Security and accredited by the British Computing Society, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Course details

Computer security is a growth industry and is vital in modern computing environments. You will gain foundation knowledge in all the key areas of cybersecurity, both defensive and offensive, as well as post-incident response and malware analysis.

The digital forensic aspects of the course include network and computer forensics, allowing you to develop the knowledge required to conduct computer-related investigations across networks, systems, and other digital devices.

The School of Computing has developed close ties with industry, law enforcement, and the public sector, through partnerships with organisations such as Cisco Systems, Guidance Software, Symantec, NCC Group, NCA, Police Scotland, and many others.

This helps inform the course, and provides guest lecturers by industry experts. Innovative research is also carried out in key domains by academics and PhD students in our dedicated cybersecurity and forensic research group.

This is a part-time course which you can start in September or January with flexibility in the number of taught modules taken in each trimester. You can study in one or two half-day blocks per week over 15 week trimesters. Students normally take 2.5 years to complete this course but you can take up to 4 years depending on your commitments and availability.

Assessments

Your knowledge of the information security taught subjects on the course is assessed via a variety of different assessment mechanisms including exams, written reports and essays, and practical scenario-based assessments.

Facilities

The course is taught at the Merchiston campus, in our specialist cybersecurity and digital forensic practical labs. You will have access to extensive online and blended materials with virtualise lab safe environments for authentic scenario-based practical work such as malware analysis and offensive network security exercises.

Modules

Modules that you will study* as part of this course

Computer Penetration Testing
(
CSN11127
)

This module will cover a range of elements concerned with digital penetration testing and security testing. Initial lectures consider important soft skills such as documentation techniques, reporting, the law, and risk assessment and management. The practical skills and their related theoretical knowledge include operating system weaknesses, information gathering (both passive and active), and various ethical hacking techniques and processes. Considerable practical focus is made on available tools to assist in auditing and penetration testing. Aspects targeted include operating systems, common network services, and network-based applications.

Host-Based Forensics
(
CSN11125
)

This module will cover elements of operating system disk-level architectures, such as Windows and Linux. This will allow students to study how operating systems store system and user data, and thus students will gain an understanding as to what information could technically be held on such systems. This data could include user files, as well as user activities such as login session data, browsing histories, operating system manipulation, and general user interactions with a variety of operating system tools. This understanding will be expanded through theoretical knowledge and practical exercises in extracting information from systems, using a variety of open source and commercial forensic analysis tools, and documenting the results of such a process using consistent and thorough evidential procedures. This includes the production of event timelines, as well as the analysis of system logs, operating system state, file systems, and application data. The module will also consider the ethical and professional issues related to digital forensics.

Network Security
(
CSN11111
)

The aim of the module is to develop a deep understanding of advanced areas related to security and digital forensics that will allow graduates to act professionally in the design, analysis, implementation, and reporting of network security strategies. An outline of the main areas includes:

Security Audit & Compliance
(
INF11109
)

The aim of the module is to let you develop a deep understanding of the framework that information security operates in, and to give you an opportunity to express this in the form of professional written reports. Topics covered include: • Overview of relevant laws and regulations: national and international, covering Data Protection, computer misuse and other legal issues. • The relation between governance models and frameworks including: ISACA’s COBIT and ISO Standards (ISO27000 in particular) • Role of the professions; difference between audit, forensics and security management. Professional ethics and codes of practice• Risk management, contingency and continuity planning• Understanding and application of the COBIT domains

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Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at a 2:2 or above in a Computing discipline (Computing; Computer Science; Computer Networking; Software Engineering; Cyber Security) or other IT disciplines with minimum of 50% Computing modules in the last two years of study. We may also consider lesser qualifications, or even none at all, if you have sufficient relevant computing-based work experience from industry.

English language requirements

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Fees for modules are calculated according to the number of credits (multiples of 20). The rate shown in the table is for 20 credits*.
This course comprises of 180 credits from taught modules and a dissertation. The total fee you will pay is dependant upon the exit award you wish to achieve.

DCMS bursaries

We have a limited number of bursaries from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the National Cyber Security Programme. The funding covers tuition fees for students taking the MSc in Advanced Security and Digital Forensics programme, either full-time or part-time.

Careers

The continued growth in the current requirement for cybersecurity and digital forensics professionals means there are a wide range of careers which can be followed after graduating from the course, such as:

security consultant/analyst

penetration tester

network security analyst

forensic investigator

audit/compliance consultant

security certification engineer

incident response analyst

sys admin

network engineer

The programme develops a range of key skills currently needed in industry, covering areas such as network security, penetration testing, security monitoring, incident response, malware analysis, operating systems, network and computer forensics, virtualisation and malware analysis. Materials from many professional courses are integrated into the curriculum, towards helping students prepare for sought after professional certification such as: